(Health Korea News / Yu Ji-in) The world’s first research results showing that hematological indicators improved after transfusing pig blood into primates similar to humans have been announced. This research is expected to become the cornerstone of solving the blood shortage problem that is being faced around the world.
The recent decline in blood donations has become a major problem in the medical community. According to the Korean Red Cross, the number of blood donations, which reached approximately 3.05 million in 2014, decreased by approximately 9% to 2.77 million in 2023. The number of blood donors continues to decrease due to aging and low birth rates, and the imbalance in blood supply and demand is worsening due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To solve these social problems, the research team of Professor Kang Hee-jung and Noh Ju-hye of the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, the research team of Dr. Hwang Jeong-ho of the Safety Evaluation Institute, and the bio company Optipharm analyzed the effects and safety of xenotransfusions in which pig red blood cells were administered to non-human primates for the first time in the world. Pigs have recently been attracting attention as a subject of xenotransplantation research because their physiological factors, such as the size of their organs and the function of their red blood cells, are similar to those of humans.
The research team manufactured clinical red blood cell products from the blood of general laboratory germ-free pigs (WT) and transgenic pigs with enhanced compatibility with human blood (triple gene knockout, TKO). Then, 12 cynomolgus monkeys with similar characteristics to humans were assigned to experimental group 1, experimental group 2, and control group (4 each), and after inducing 25% blood loss (blood loss), experimental group 1 was transfused with red blood cells from WT pigs and experimental group 2 with red blood cells from TKO pigs. Afterwards, comparative monitoring was conducted with the control group that was injected with saline solution instead of blood before and immediately after bleeding and for 21 days after transfusion.
As a result, hematological indicators such as red blood cell count, hematocrit, and hemoglobin levels improved in all experimental groups by the first day after transfusion, and TKO porcine erythrocytes were found to have fewer systemic side effects than WT porcine erythrocytes. Porcine erythrocytes transfused into the experimental group rapidly disappeared from the circulating blood after 24 hours, and side effects such as strong antibody responses were observed.
Professor Noh Ju-hye explained, “It was confirmed that transfusion of porcine red blood cells can effectively increase hematological indices for up to 24 hours after transfusion, but after that, the effect is limited due to biological reactions.”
Although the team demonstrated immediate hematological benefits, they found that additional pig genetic modification and immunosuppression studies were needed to evade biological responses to maximize the efficacy of xenotransfusion.
“The results of this study provide important basic data for the clinical application of xenotransfusion,” said Professor Kang Hee-jung, the principal investigator. “We will conduct follow-up studies to develop a safer and more effective xenotransfusion protocol and to use genetic modification to allow porcine red blood cells to replace human red blood cells.”
The study was published in the June issue of the international journal ‘Frontiers in Immunology’ (Impact Factor=5.7) under the title, ‘Investigation of the efficacy and safety of wild-type and triple-gene knockout pig RBC transfusions in nonhuman primates’ as part of a national project led by the Civil-Military Cooperation Agency.
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Source: www.hkn24.com
